UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team returned home for the first game on its home floor since February 6th. The Lady Cardinals got double-digit scoring performances from five of their players, but couldn't come out on top in an 83-75 loss to the Ferris State University Bulldogs.
In a first half which featured five ties and four lead changes, SVSU held a three point lead at 10-7 after a three-pointer from sophomore guard Katelyn Carriere at the 15:32 mark.
The Bulldogs would respond with a 10-0 run to grab a 17-10 lead with just over 13 minutes left to play in the half.
A three point play from junior forward Briana Graham would help SV cut the deficit to a pair at 19-17 with 10:11 left in the half.
FSU would push the lead to six points twice before the Cards would get back-to-back buckets from Carriere and senior guard Kayla Womack to bring the score back to within two (31-29) with 3:22 remaining.
Another triple from Carriere would knot the score at 38-all with 55 ticks left on the clock. After a Bulldog turnover, senior guard Kristen Greene drained a jumper with nine seconds left to give Saginaw Valley the 40-38 lead heading into the break.
The two squads shot nearly identical percentages in the opening 20 minutes, as SVSU shot 51.5% while Ferris shot at a 51.6% clip. The Lady Cardinals held a slim 20-18 advantage in points in the paint and points off turnovers (9-7).
Carriere was 5-of-8 from the floor in the first, connecting on four out of seven shots from beyond the arc for 14 points.
After a brief tie at 40-40 to open play for the second half, SV would lead by six points (50-44) following a three point play from junior forward Samantha Zirzow.
Ferris State would fight back to take a 57-55 lead at the 11:33 marker after a three-pointer from Sarah DeShone.
A Carrier layup would answer to knot the score at 57 points-apiece, but that's as close as the Lady Cards would be the rest of the way.
FSU opened-up an eight point lead and extended it to 10 points, as the Bulldogs led 72-62 with 7:43 left to play.
A pair of freebies by Zirzow with 1:19 left to play cut the lead to four (79-74), but DeShone went 4-of-4 down the stretch for Ferris to help seal the 83-75 victory for the visitors.
Carriere earned Meijer "Player of the Game" honors for SVSU, as she posted a team-high 22 points, adding four rebounds and a pair of helpers.
Greene added 14 points, three boards and four assists while Graham netted a dozen points, four rebounds and two assists.
Zirzow and Womack also reached double-figures in scoring, with Zirzow scoring 11 points while grabbing a team-high six boards and three assists while Womack scored 10 points, adding five boards and three dimes.
The Bulldogs finished the game with a 40-32 edge on the glass.
With the defeat, SVSU falls to 13-10 overall and 11-9 in the GLIAC. Ferris improves to 9-13 overall and 9-11 in league play.
The women will be back in action on Thursday (Feb. 27), as they host the rival Northwood University Timberwolves in another GLIAC North Division matchup. Tip-off is set for 6:00 pm in SVSU's O'Neill Arena.